Experts say professional and semi-professional thieves are the main cause of losses, as they steal higher-value items than petty shoplifters.

However there has been surge in affluent young female shoplifters stealing costly designer items.

Professor Joshua Bamfield, from the Centre for Retail Research, said: “As well as honest customers, thieves will be at work in our shops this Christmas, with retail crime concentrated in the central belt and larger towns.

“Fraudulent employees steal goods and cash and may collude with the shoplifters or form part of organised gangs.”

Official figures show that there were 29,758 offences of shoplifting in Scotland last year.

Retailers are pinning their hopes on having a bumper Christmas to rescue a dire trading year and are warning that shoplifters could put smaller firms out of business.

Andy Willox, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Shoplifting is, for Scottish independent retailers, at best a disheartening headache.

“At worst, it can threaten firms’ survival.

“Small shops need to do what they can to prevent themselves becoming a target. Furthermore the general public can report suspicious behaviour as well as making sure that they support the independent shops so valued by our communities this Christmas.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Retail Consortium said: “The findings reinforce the need for a co-ordinated approach to tackle retail crime across communities.

“They also highlight that serious and organised criminals are a growing threat to the retail sector.

“Retail crime doesn’t only affect shops and retail staff.

“It impacts directly on communities, does further damage to our struggling High Streets and it also encourages wider criminal activity.”